Northern Iowa

RICHMOND, Va. -- Maurice Newby lost sight of the last shot of the game. He was buried under his teammates as the ball whipped through the net for three points to give 14th-seeded Northern Iowa a 74-71 upset of Missouri. The Tigers (26-6) lost four of their last five games. Coach Norm Stewart -- who started his career at Northern Iowa -- speculated the Tigers simply overachieved earlier in the season. The NCAA`s current investigation of alleged irregularities at Missouri has haunted several players.

By Patrick Lammer, Sun Sentinel and South Florida Sun-Sentinel, November 17, 2010

Just off Highway 20 west of Waterloo, Iowa, sits the tiny town of Iowa Falls — home of the Ellsworth Community College Panthers. It is here where ex-Douglas High coach Mike Virden, with the help of a large contingent of South Floridians, is building a junior college football power. After back-to-back 8-3 seasons, Virden has guided Ellsworth to a No. 8 national ranking this year and a berth in Sunday's Graphic Edge Bowl against Lackawanna College, of Scranton, Pa. The game will be played at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Just off Highway 20 west of Waterloo, Iowa, sits the tiny town of Iowa Falls — home of the Ellsworth Community College Panthers. It is here where ex-Douglas High coach Mike Virden, with the help of a large contingent of South Floridians, is building a junior college football power. After back-to-back 8-3 seasons, Virden has guided Ellsworth to a No. 8 national ranking this year and a berth in Sunday's Graphic Edge Bowl against Lackawanna College, of Scranton, Pa. The game will be played at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

There is no pressure on the University of Miami to defeat Northern Iowa in tonight's home opener at Miami Arena. There is a sense of urgency to not slip up, especially in a game such as this. "This will be a game that will mean a lot to them," UM coach Leonard Hamilton said of Northern Iowa. Because UM (1-1) went to the NCAA Tournament last year and is expected to go again this year, it can expect to get each team's best effort. A year ago, the Hurricanes were 18-9 when they earned their first berth to the NCAA Tournament since 1961.

Cardinal Newman High graduates Josh Fleming and Ricky Woods chose different college paths after placing second in the state wrestling tournament last year. Woods chose icy Northern Iowa. Fleming chose California and Stanford. "It`s fun here, it`s just so cold," said Woods, the Sun-Sentinel Wrestler of the Year as a junior in 1987-88. "It warmed up to 29 degrees this week, but the wind is just horrendous. The wind-chill factor just kills you." Woods, at 140 pounds, was red-shirted and only allowed to compete at open tournaments.

University of Northern Iowa kicker Brian Mitchell made up for lost time and then some. After kicking only three field goals his senior year at Taravella, the first team All-America preseason pick is on record pace. In Saturday`s 50-14 victory against Western Illinois, Mitchell had three field goals (41, 32 and 27 yards) and five extra points. After six games, the junior is 15 of 16 in field goals (including 10 straight) and 17 of 17 in PATs. His longest is 43 yards. Last season, his first at Northern Iowa after transferring from Marshall, he was 14 of 19 in field goals (long of 48)

Within the scope of preparing for a never-before-seen triple option offense, the Iowa Hawkeyes have to be cognizant of a significant component come the Jan. 5 Orange Bowl: low-flying Georgia Tech blockers. Cut blocks are seen in every football game, but the Atlantic Coast Conference champion Yellow Jackets have elevated the practice to an art form. Strategic cut blocks are paramount to why Georgia Tech rushed for 300-plus yards in 10 of 13 games. "Guys just go down low and take legs out," Hawkeyes linebacker A.J. Edds said.

For University of Miami linebacker Tavares Gooden, the pick came a day late but left him with the same feeling. After not being selected in the first two rounds, Gooden was chosen Sunday by Baltimore at No. 71 in the third round. "It's cool," said Gooden, who played at St. Thomas Aquinas. "This is what I expected. I had potential to be taken on the first day, but my range was [Nos.] 45 to 88. I'm just happy to get picked." Gooden's family and friends gathered on Saturday hoping he would be taken in the second round.

Syracuse Regional 1. North Carolina vs. 16. Oakland Site: Charlotte Tipoff: 3 p.m. Line: North Carolina by 28 Comment: Oakland coach Greg Kampe has the line of the tournament: "If we win the national championship, we'll finally get to 19-18," he said. The Golden Grizzlies will have to settle for 13-19 and some national publicity. 2. Connecticut vs. 15. central florida Site: Worcester, Mass. Tipoff: 2:45 p.m. Line: Connecticut by 181/2. Comment: The Golden Knights, who lost to Pittsburgh in last year's tournament, face another rugged Big East opponent.

Mona Van Duyn, a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and the first woman to serve as poet laureate of the United States, has died. She was 83. Ms. Van Duyn died of bone cancer Thursday at her home in University City, Mo. In a career marked by spurts of glory between periods of comparative obscurity, Ms. Van Duyn won every prize a poet covets, including the National Book Award for Poetry, the Bollingen Prize and the Ruth Lilly Prize, as well as the Pulitzer in...

Broward Community College women`s basketball team won its first game of the season last weekend. After four straight losses, the Lady Seahawks slipped past Brevard Community College 62-55 in the Ocala Shootout Women`s Basketball Tournament held at Central Florida Community College. BCC led 32-30 at the half. Kelly Macomber (Fort Lauderdale Christian) led scoring with 17 points. Claire Whelen (St. Thomas Aquinas) had 13 points, including three three- pointers. -- Marshall University kicker Dewey Klein (Northeast)

Daniel Nilsson and Jens Zetterstrom scored goals to give Florida Atlantic University an opening 2-1 victory against Coastal Carolina at the University of Central Florida Tournament. Nilsson scored the first goal on a setup by Thomas Nygards at 7:58. Coastal Carolina tied it at the 19-minute mark, but Zetterstorm scored the winner at 35:26. The Owls outshot Coastal Carolina 16-7. FAU will play Long Island this afternoon in the final game of the tournament. * Lynn 4, Kendall College 0: Josh Kristowski had two points to lead the Knights (2-0)